The Nebraska volleyball team opened the 2025 campaign with its annual Red-White Scrimmage in front of a crowd of 8,414 in John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Saturday afternoon. 

The Red team defeated the White team 3-1, though the Huskers mixed their teams and lineups around for each set. 

Here’s the full rundown from Nate Pohlen in Husker Communications:

Rebekah Allick led all players with 16 kills on .433 hitting with five blocks. It was a strong day for the middle blockers overall, as freshman Kenna Cogill posted 10 kills and five blocks and hit .421, and Andi Jackson had nine kills and hit .412. Freshman Manaia Ogbechie led all players with eight blocks in the match. 

Harper Murray tallied 15 kills and nine digs, while Virginia Adriano posted 11 kills with a match-high three aces. Teraya Sigler had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs with a pair of aces, and Skyler Pierce contributed nine kills. 

Bergen Reilly had 41 assists and 15 digs, while Campbell Flynn had 34 assists and 11 digs. Laney Choboy and Olivia Mauch had 17 and 16 digs, respectively.  

Taylor Landfair finished with seven kills, five blocks and five digs, and Allie Sczech posted six kills, five digs and three blocks. Ryan Hunter recorded five kills and four blocks. Keri Leimbach and Maisie Boesiger had six and three digs, respectively. 

Red rallied from down 22-19 to win the first set 25-23 with a 6-1 run. Sigler served an ace, and Allick had a kill, while Ogbechie and Landfair had a key block for Red’s first lead of the set at 24-23. 

In the second set, Red put together a late comeback again. Trailing 21-16, Cogill had two kills before Sigler added one to cut the White lead to 21-19. Another Cogill and two White errors tied the score 22-22. Ogbechie and Sczech put White in front 23-22 with a block, but Allick terminated to tie the score again and she connected for the winning kill, 25-23. 

Set three was a back-and-forth battle with the teams tied at 20-20. Adriano posted a kill for Red, and Allick and Murray combined for a block to make it 22-20. Jackson answered with a kill for White, and the score was tied 22-22 before a White hitting error, an Allick kill, and another White hitting error that gave Red the 25-22 win. 

White got on the board in set four with a 25-17 win. Sigler and Allick each had four kills in the set. 

The Huskers continue their preseason with the inaugural Alumni Match next Saturday at 6 p.m. The Alumni squad will feature former Huskers Jordan Larson, Kelly Hunter, Lauren Stivrins, Kenzie Maloney, Annika Albrecht, Gina Mancuso, Callie Schwarzenbach, Lindsay Krause, Leyla Blackwell and Ally Batenhorst.  

Over the past two weeks, the University of New Mexico’s Athletics Department announced a frenzy of initiatives to make Lobo athletic events more affordable. It will allow free entry for home games for several Olympic sporting events, free entry for children under 12 to Lobo football games and a new $4 value menu for concessions at home football games.

The new programs reflect a long-term investment into affordability and the fan experience for Lobo Football and athletics, UNM’s Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Relations, Kasey Byers, said.

“This may be something we break even on, or this may be something that we’re willing to invest in — what the overall growth of the program is going to be,” Byers said.

Women’s soccer, softball, baseball and outdoor track and field events have now joined women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s golf home events in being free to the public. Women’s volleyball and indoor track and field will continue to be ticketed events.

“Why would you not want to go support an incredible soccer program that Heather Dyche has built here over 10 years?” Byers said. “You look at some of our other Olympic sports on the baseball side and softball side, and there’s just a lot of great programs.”

At UNM home football games, fans are now able to purchase hot dogs, popcorn, Pepsi products and water for $4 per item. In addition, up to two tickets for children 12 and under are free with the purchase of an adult single game general admission ticket. The offer is valid for all home games, except the Rio Grande Rivalry game against New Mexico State University on Sept. 27.

Lobo football tickets went on sale on August 4, with single-game tickets starting at $16 for seating in the north end zone and season tickets starting at $91. The Lobo football season kicks off on Aug. 30, on the road against the Michigan Wolverines and their first home game will be Sep. 6, against Idaho State.

Free tickets for children under 12 is part of Lobo football’s strategy of getting kids excited and “hooked” on Lobo football, Byers said.

“We need to really encourage and cater to families. Being together, having it be affordable, and really saying, ‘Hey, we’re investing in the next generation of Lobo fans.’ I think that’s what we’ve been able to do with this initiative,” Byers said.

Lobo Athletics launched the Lil’ Lobo Kids Club program, in which kids 12 and under receive rewards for attending events, including signed items, tours of the athletic facilities and meet and greets, in exchange for a $25 membership.

“You look at the football initiatives, and you look at the things we’re doing with the Olympic sports — this is a commitment to the city of Albuquerque and to the state that we haven’t seen an athletic director do here before,” Byers said.

Jaden McKelvey-Francis is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @jadenmckelvey